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00 E. RUDOLPH RD. - 70 ACRES MLS# 1896477 $469,500 - NEW LISTING!

If your’e looking for an exceptional large acreage parcel for recreation, hunting, or the utmost in privacy to build, you’ll want to check out this 70 +/- acre parcel on quiet Rudolph Road. Incredibly diverse, open meadows with antique apple trees, rolling hillsides with mature and emerging hardwoods, a stand of towering red pines and spruce trees, a meandering valley that winds its way through this special property. Zoning is Agricultural-Conservation, which allows a single family dwelling and a multitude of wildlife and ag uses. It’s located on seasonally maintained portion of Rudolf Road, which the Leelanau County Road Commission stops plowing about 300’ from the NW corner, so you’ll have to make your way east to the property and driveway if building is in your future, but it will be worth it! To walk, ski, or snowshoe (this time of year at least), you’ll want to approach it from the west off of Cedar Road, aka Co. Rd. 651, onto either Roman Road which connects to Rudolph Road, about a half mile to the north. Buyers should verify access to all utilities, measurements, and total acreage.

231-334-2758

FANTASTIC BEASTS: THE SECRETS OF DUMBLEDORE

A dark shadow hangs over the Wizarding World. Between the controversies of stars (Ezra Miller) and former stars (Johnny Depp, now replaced by Mads Mikkelsen) and the bigotry and transphobia of once beloved author/screenwriter J.K. Rowling, watching the latest Fantastic Beasts film already feels tainted before anything even hits the screen. Former Harry Potter franchise scribe Steve Kloves was brought in to “collaborate,” aka, fix the script, and Kloves’ influence is readily apparent. By streamlining the proceedings, the resulting film is in a lot of ways, a highlight for the series. It brings back some of the focus on creatures and whimsy (see a highly entertaining prison escape) that was so lacking in its predecessor, The Crimes of Grindelwald.

But ultimately the film cannot escape the fact this miscalculated prequel series is so inherently dour, focusing on the dark and grim magical happenings of largely unappealing adults. Imagine kicking off the film with a brutal Bambi slaying, and then expecting everyone to have fun. The magic, for lack of a better word, just isn’t there anymore, with this film feeling like a chore more than anything. The plot kicks off with virtually no exposition, and believe me, if you haven’t dipped your toes in the wizarding pond since the 2018 release of Grindelwald, this is more than a little challenging for viewers. The film also opens with a moment many fans have long been waiting for: onscreen confirmation that Dumbledore (Jude Law) is gay. But don’t let the headlines fool you, as Dumbledore and Grindelwald sit down to discuss how they now find themselves enemies, they barely confirm a romance; and furthermore, the film does nothing to explore said romance.

Part of me admires that Dumbledore just matter-of-factly says to Grindelwald that he was “in love with” him, but this supposed mic drop moment has no passion behind it. These two have absolutely no chemistry, and their former love is felt nowhere in the movie. Mads, usually such an incredible cinematic presence, is a bit of a disappointment. That he keeps it all so low key is genuinely jarring. Regardless of their romantic status, a pact Dumbledore and Grindelwald made prevents them from going up against each other. But as Grindelwald’s power is growing and his plans to turn against the Muggle world are heating up, Dumbledore needs to find a workaround. That’s where supposed franchise star Eddie Redmayne as magizoologist Newt Scamander comes in. Dumbledore needs Newt and his random crew to help him go up against Grindelwald, which is further complicated by the fact Grindelwald can see the future.

Said random crew is made up of characters who all seem vaguely familiar, even if you are unsure if they were actually in the previous film or not. They include American Muggle Jacob Kowalski (Dan Fogler), Newt’s Auror brother Thesus (Callum Turner), and a delightful Jessica Williams as Charms professor Eulalie Hicks. Queenie (a fabulous Alison Sudol) is back, but has turned to the dark side and become one of Grindelwald’s devotees, while previous female lead Tina (Katherine Waterston) is conspicuously missing beyond a glorified cameo. It’s like the filmmakers realize no one really cares about these prequel-only characters, and they spend little time building upon them or making us believe they have a compelling reason to be in the movie. People want the Potter content they know, and so younger Dumbledore, in an enjoyable jaunty depiction here, takes more of a central role. Even peripheral characters who didn’t really work in previous films are rejiggered to have a connection with these more iconic figures. Dangerous orphan-turned-Grindelwaldfollower Credence Barebone (Miller) is given a clunky new story that makes him a Dumbledore relative. But fitting all these separate character threads together, even with Dumbledore holding down the center, makes for a film that is not anchored to anything, and your focus is split. For a film that is essentially about election rigging set against a 1930s rise of fascism, its politics are completely toothless. It takes these ideas that are all too relevant to our times and does nothing with them. They are mere set dressing, which is interesting considering the one area the film excels at is production, costume, and creature design, along with the special effects. It’s like director David Yates, who has directed all Fantastic Beasts movies and four of the Harry Potter series, has the wizarding production down to such a science he’s lost sight of his ability to innovate, to breathe anything fresh into this world. And that is what is so sorely needed—anything to inject these films with a sense of energy and fun and yes, magic. Looking down the barrel at the prospect of two more of these films (which does seem less likely by the day), how about giving us a Call Me By Your Name-style look at the summer Dumbledore and Grindelwald fell in love? That would certainly be unexpected.